From The Beautiful Game to Time and Endurance

SEATTLE– When Maddox Fox, an incoming freshman at the time, attended the first summer practice of the year for the cross-country team he had this sense of nerves, but also this strange sense of confidence. He was in a position he had never been before, a spot where he could truly excel and improve his running, but first, he had to start. 

Maddox Fox started running a long time before high school. It started back in his elementary school days. Running for him really started to pick up in 8^th grade when he decided to run cross-country for Westside School.  

At the time he entered high school, he was balancing playing soccer multiple days a week and running cross-country. The goal of cross country for him “was to primarily cross-train for soccer and gain endurance for the season in the spring”. 

In his freshman year, he was the only one on varsity, so he had big shoes to fill. His best time from that year ended up being 18 minutes and 11 seconds.  

In his sophomore year, he decided to entirely switch from soccer to running cross-country and track full-time. He likes the clear-cut path that running has to get better, and it's just getting out and running. 

He says that soccer was frustrating.

“I would have a good game and the team would still lose."   

Fox says that running is different. It's less about winning and losing; he loves the feeling of running. He loves getting up early.

"Being at school by seven and getting a run in with the team and still having practice to go to in the afternoon. I love that.” 

With Coach Derby starting the early morning runs during the week this year, he has been enjoying running more than ever.  

With the full-time switch 2 years ago he is onto his senior year of cross country with bigger goals than ever. He wants to keep lowering his times for the meets that he has this year and has set hard goals for himself.

“Getting under 16 minutes is a big time stamp for runners at his age and he really wants to get there this year.”  

With college inching ever closer, Fox has his sights set on running in college.

Fox says, “Running in college has a very good shot of happening right now, whether it is at the D1, D2, or D3 level”.

He wants to continue running after college and plans to participate in some of the 100- and 500-mile races if the opportunity arises. He wants to push himself with those and he thinks that they look very intriguing.  

Running brings passion and joy to his life and will continue to do so for the rest of his life.